Archive | April 2014

And if our God be for us, then who can ever stop us? Surprisingly the answer is us. We stop ourselves. Here is what we know based on what the Bible tells us: (1) 2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Our past is simply our past. EVERYBODY has one. In fact when we come to Christ God uses our past to help others to come into the knowledge of Him. Our past should not dictate our future, it should be our stepping stones to a greater future.

(2) Hebrews 4:16 – Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.- We can go boldly to our Father in our time of need. How many of you remember as a kid how you went boldly to your parents for whatever you needed. It’s the same thing with God we can go to Him not cowering in fear or in anticipation of rejection. He loves us and it is His good pleasure to show up and show out for us.

(3) Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. There is absolutely NOTHING that we cannot do. What would happen if we stopped living in fear and started living in faith? God gives us power to do all things so that He will be glorified!!

(4) Philippians 4:19 – But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.- Whatever it is that you are supposed to be doing, God will make the provision to you to carry it out. I have often heard it said God will make provision for the vision.

(5) 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – There is a very good reason that you have never fit in with the “in-crowd”. There is a reason that you felt odd-ballish most of your life. You were too busy trying to put a square peg into a round hole.

God makes provision for the things He has called us to do. We cannot be stopped. We cannot be denied. We cannot be pushed aside. If our God be for us, then who can be against us. Now get out there and let your light shine!!

Daily Reading: Psalm 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Most us of start the new year off, all pursuing the same thing. We want to be bet-ter. Whether we pledge to lose weight, get our finances on track, or choose better relationships, we all start off with a goal in mind. The ultimate goal is to make changes so that we can live better lives. Initially we go to the gym, plunk down that money for a membership, and we are faithful at first. We either get up early in the morning to get our workout completed, or we make time in the evening to get there and get that workout finished. We begin to be more conscious about what we are eating, some of us can and will track points, and others will keep food diaries. We all become more conscious about what we are doing and how we are doing it to achieve our ultimate goal. How-ever, somewhere along the way, we lose focus. Perhaps the weight is not coming off fast enough or perhaps we continue going to the same places, thereby meeting the same old people, whatever happens or however it happens, we somehow lose our focus. Once we lose our focus, our goal is no longer clear, it begins to get fuzzy; once it gets fuzzy, it becomes easy to forget what we were looking at in the first place. Our vision has become blurry, so we can no longer focus on the big picture, which was to become healthier, to choose better relationships and so on.

Do you not know that it is the same way in the spiritual realm? At the beginning of the year, most of us also decide to walk a little closer with God. But as soon as things begin to happen, the boss wants us to work overtime, we get busy with the kids, we start snoozing our clocks in the morning, and slowly we lose our focus. Suddenly getting closer to God is just not that important anymore because we have gotten busy. Losing our spiritual focus is much more dangerous than losing our physical focus. We lose our spiritual focus and we lose our soul. We only go around this one time and once it is over, it is over. We have to remain focused on the fact that this world is not our home. We have to remain focused, so that no matter the test, trial or storm, God is with us. Do not lose focus.

Prayer of Praise: Lord, help me to remain focused on You and the plans that You have for my life. It is so easy to get distracted and disillusioned in my daily walk, but help me to hold on and remain steadfast. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thought for today: Today I will remain focused on the promises of God.

Daily Reading: Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

Our troubles are just opportunities. While in the middle of trouble, it may be difficult to see it as such, but it really is. Our troubles should bring us into a closer relationship and fellowship with God. Our troubles are an opportunity to talk with Him in a more intimate way. There is nothing like a good dose of trouble to make us leave pre-tense behind and get down to the nitty-gritty of what is going on. Our troubles are opportunities to walk closer with God. Once we start going through difficult periods, we tend to be a little kinder, talk and answer a little softer, and we also become more humble. It is unfortunate, but time after time again, when things are going great in our lives, we tend to start believing that we are in charge of our own lives. For example, I once knew someone who, as long as they had money, they had a superficial relationship with God. They were quick to brag on what they had and how they had it. They were quick to have an attitude of superiority. Eventually God allowed me to see them with nothing, and all they talked about was their faith in God. God being who He is, restored that person to a degree and now, you never hear them say a word about God. I also noticed that they haven’t had a good trial in a while, either. But see, God is giving them all this time to build a relationship on a solid foundation, so when testing time comes, they can stand against the enemy.

Our troubles are opportunities to magnify God. Have you ever met one of those people who continually have praise on their lips? Their countenance tends to be sweeter. These people have decided to take a particular stance, and it is a position of praise. No matter what we go through, God is al-ways worthy of praise. I know for myself, if I praise going in it, I will still have a praise coming out of it. The troubles we face in this life, although they seem long, they are frustratingly painful, but they have a purpose.

Prayer of Praise: Lord, thank You for Your grace and mercies that are new every morning. I may not understand my troubles, but I understand that they are an opportunity to walk closer to You.

Thought for the day: When troubles arise, talk to God about them first, even be-fore your friends.